From Diffidence to Dominance: Anfield’s Mentality Monsters
On Sunday 10th November, Liverpool FC faces their biggest challenge of the season at home against the blue half of Manchester. Defending champions arrive at the Merseyside fortress with 6 points short of first-placed Liverpool, hoping to catch up with them just in time. 3 points on the day would mean Liverpool widens the gap with City to nine points and attains a much more comfortable position in the race for the title.
The two teams were faced with a similar scenario right at the start of this year when Liverpool faced City at the Etihad with a 7-point difference and won 2–1 to close the gap to 4 points. This time around the situation has presented itself a bit earlier but the significance of the result in this fixture is overwhelming.
Liverpool recently put on an unparalleled display in the three consecutive comebacks against Tottenham, Arsenal and Aston Villa, persuading Klopp to label his boys as ‘mentality monsters’. This Liverpool squad is playing each match like a finale since the very start of the season and the results speak for their attitude. It takes more than a top-quality squad to put on such an exuberant display. A resolute mentality and a belief system telling them they can do anything is the core reason for their current dominance.

So how have things changed since the last time the two met in the league?
From as long as I have been a Liverpool fan, I have observed that there were always doubts about Liverpool’s consistency. The pre-Klopp era was filled with individuals in the team who were devoid of the feeling of being a top team in Europe and it was always difficult for them to build a winning momentum for themselves. Even the first three seasons in Klopp’s management saw Liverpool being treated as serious underdogs on big occasions. Klopp’s resilient pursuit of silverware in the past was thwarted away each time. Final after final, Liverpool started becoming the most renowned chokers of the game, under one of the finest managers in the business.

However, the breakthrough came when the La Liga giants, FC Barcelona came to Anfield on the 8th of May with a 3-goal lead and saw their advantage overturned with 4 goals from the men in red. Defeating the tournament favorites and one of the best teams on the planet served as the actual boost to their mentality. When you defeat a team with Lionel Messi in the line-up, it would be more than just a victory. That day paved the way for their first-ever Champions League trophy since the Istanbul miracle of 2005. Lifting this trophy was the reward for their relentless pursuit, something they had been doing for quite a while but without an end product. The end product refurnished their belief system, informing the players of their true capabilities.
Previously, Liverpool would have settled for a draw on occasions where they were a goal or two down. But now they are a formidable force of men who are not willing to settle for less. No matter how good or poor the Firmino-Mane-Salah trio is on the day, someone turns up and grabs the headlines.
Moreover, the individual honors grabbed by Klopp, Van Dijk and Alisson for the FIFA Best Manger, Defender and Goal-Keeper of the Year and the UEFA Player of the Year, are a major boost for everyone associated with the club that they belong to something great now. By no means am I stating that Liverpool is invincible or that they have perfected themselves. But it is actually the acknowledgment of Liverpool’s dominance that I never witnessed before.
Last time around at Etihad, Liverpool was slightly devoid of this mentality which led them to drop 3 crucial points and face their only defeat of the season. The damage done by City led to future draws that made Liverpool a point short of winning the league on the final day. However, this time round they are stepping on the field with a belief system that tells them that they are no longer the underdogs. The players have their spirits lifted and maybe it’s about time they break a generation old title-less deadlock.
The real question is how the result on Sunday shapes the story of Premier League 2019/20 for the rest of the season. The answer to which is awaited by every football fan out there.